Food! Food! Food! One of the best things in Japan is their FOOD!
In my previous blog, I shared some Japanese sweets that you can try at Kawazuzakura Matsuri, which are - yes - SAKURA-FLAVORED sweets!
Here, let me introduce other delectable food that you can try when you visit SHIZUOKA Prefecture.
Shizuoka Wasabi
The first food that I would recommend is WASABI. You might think, "Wait! What? Wasabi? is it even good?!" My younger self will probably say, "Nah... there's no way I'm eating wasabi!" since my first encounter with wasabi was a bit unpleasant.
Well, going back, yes- SHIZUOKA WASABI is one of the foods you must try when you're in the area. Most people buy the wasabi in small tubes, but usually, this wasabi is just a mixture of powdered horseradish and some artificial coloring.
Fresh wasabi tastes differently from the ones in the tube. It has a distinct taste with a little bit of spice.
On my first trip to Izu, I found a shop that sells different wasabi products. They have raw wasabi, pickled wasabi, and pastes with wasabi. But, the one that got my attention was the soft cream with wasabi.
It's not the wasabi-flavored soft cream, but it's the regular soft cream with freshly grated wasabi on the side. That soft cream was surprisingly good.
おいしい！
Mikan
Shizuoka is one of the largest mikan producers in Japan. Mikan oranges are a type of mandarin orange. They usually grow in places with a warm climate.
Izu orange center is one of the best places to drink fresh mikan juice. It's also a nice place to relax after a long drive. The shop has different products for souvenirs, too. Every time I go to Shizuoka, I make sure that we stop by this center and enjoy one or two cups of fresh orange juice.
Seafood
Shizuoka is also known for its seafood. One of the recommended restaurants is the Kawazu No Sho. I often have lunch here before having a refreshing orange juice at the Izu Orange center. They're just in the same area.
This traditional-looking Japanese restaurant serves seafood donburi with fresh wasabi and lunch set meals with Tai (sea bream) as one of their specialties. The place is also spacious with table and tatami seating options.
I'm not a big fan of seafood, but I love fried fish, just like the restaurant's Aji Fry (Deep-fried Horse Mackerel). Besides the taste, I love its heart shape, as well as the fresh orange on the side.
Moving on, Shizuoka is also known as the home of UNAGI (eel) farming in Japan. So, it's not surprising that some of the oldest unagi restaurants are here.
One of them is Unagi Sakuraya (established in 1856). Most of the time, there is a long line of people waiting outside the shop but, it's definitely worth the wait.
I went here with my close friends who never had unagi. It's not common for us to eat this kind of fish. We tried their unagi jubako (eel on rice in a jubako box), which is popular in this shop, and we loved it. The eel is perfectly cooked, and the sauce is just right.
If you're in the area, you must give it a try!
Cheesecake
Last, but definitely NOT the least, is CHEESECAKE. It's not a Japanese cheesecake, but it's the best cheesecake that I had since I moved to Japan.
You can find this tempting cheesecake at Gallery & Cafe Sogabo. This cafe is on Perry Road - one of the historical sites in Shimoda.
Sogabo's cheesecake is light, creamy, a bit sweet, and slightly tangy. I don't mean to exaggerate, but just thinking about it makes me want to go to Shizuoka now. The cheesecake set comes with a cup of coffee and a piece of chocolate. Yay!
They have other cake options, but when I go there, it's definitely for the cheesecake.
Cheesecake Set: 2017-2019
The cafe itself is stylish. It's traditional, and the interior is warm and cozy. There are tables and chairs, as well as traditional-style tatami seating options.
Moreover, the shop staff (maybe the owner) is kind and welcoming.
Sogabo Cafe
There are lots of places to visit and different foods to try in Shizuoka prefecture.
Above are just some of them. I can't wait to go back and try new dishes on my next trip. For now, I hope that the shops I mentioned are doing well despite the pandemic.
Which of these recommended foods would you try?
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